Report: Broncos' Paxton Lynch could miss up to month with shoulder injury

Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch has a “badly bruised” right throwing shoulder, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. The injury will force Lynch to miss several weeks and “maybe even a month” of the regular season.

Lynch suffered the injury when he was sacked during the team’s 20-17 preseason win over the Packers on Saturday.

That means the team will need a new (albeit temporary) No. 2 quarterback to back up Trevor Siemian to start the year. A logical choice would be undrafted rookie Kyle Sloter, but he’s not the only option.

According to the report from Klis, some members of Denver’s staff do not feel that Sloter is ready to be a regular-season backup quarterback despite his remarkable preseason). Sloter will likely serve as the Broncos’ quarterback in the team’s preseason finale against the Cardinals on Aug. 31, but he’s not guaranteed to begin the year as Siemian’s backup.

Denver could sign a quarterback off the street — Colin Kaepernick is the biggest name still available — or perhaps wait until Friday to claim a quarterback off waivers. All NFL teams must trim their rosters from 90 players down to 53 players by Sept. 1.

The Broncos could also trade for a quarterback, but that seems like the least likely scenario. If the team waits until Friday to bring in another QB, they will risk having Siemian serve as an emergency quarterback on Thursday if Sloter is asked to play the entire game.